Why am I burnt out now? Why now? The sun is out (maybe), summer is finally kicking off and yet I have no energy and I am tired. I don’t remember summer feeling this way in years past. It is easy to find our days beginning and ending with exhaustion. What happened?
What happened is the world has lived through a pandemic, a global shutdown, political unrest, a complete resetting of norms. We now have fuzzy expectations of the future and what once was solid ground now feels shaky or filled with potholes. In other words, we have survived.
Survival—>Exhaustion/Burn out —>Rebuilding Reserves —>Thriving.
Survival
The feeling of burn out and exhaustion are the feelings of surviving when survival is no longer the greatest thing we are working towards. First of all, you are not alone. You are not alone in your exhaustion and burn out. Secondly, this is not the new norm and you will not be here forever.
It is helpful to begin to look at what roads you have travelled in the last 2.5 years. Where were you before the pandemic hit? What was going on in your life when everything shut down? What did the months look like for you? What got pushed out? What rhythms were interrupted? What milestones did you miss out on? What has the impact been?
When we look at the specifics of what the past couple of years entail, clarity begins to form. Hopefully with that clarity comes compassion. Compassion for the ways in which you have survived all of those things to get you to today. Can you hold kindness towards yourself for getting through the past couple of years?
Burnout/Exhaustion
What to do with the burn out and exhaustion now? Begin to name it with “of course…” Of course I am exhausted I have been _________. Of course I am burnt out, I __________ and ________ these last couple of years.
What if instead of chastising yourself for being tired, you name it as a product of surviving. Hold gratitude that your body is no longer in survival mode so it can now feel its exhaustion. When we name it, we feel it and we can heal it.
Rebuilding Reserves
What builds goodness into your life?
For some it is being outside. Have you been outside with enjoyment?
For some it is working out. Have you been working out?
For some it is cooking. Have you been in the kitchen cooking?
For some it is reading. Have you been reading?
For some it is game night. Have you been playing games?
Whatever it is for you. Be curious.
Are these still part of your life or have they gone to the wayside? When did they disappear? What happens if you added one thing back in that fills you with goodness in the next month?
We are entering the time of rebuilding our resiliency. The past couple of years has drained most of our reserves. Let this summer be a summer of rest, goodness and refilling. You do not have to do this alone. We are here for you.
What is one thing you can do today for filling your reserve?
Thriving
Having different bookends to your day. When you do not start your day exhausted and end your day exhausted. When you begin to feel that you are living your life vs your life running you.
Thriving is living in freedom. Thriving is feeling contentment with your day, your life and you. Thriving is feeling excitement, joy, energy and hope. Laughter and tears have a home in a thriving life.
If you are feeling stuck in burn out, reach out. If apathy has taken hold of the things that you once found life in, we are here for you.